A Reign of Shadows
by The Pale Red Queen
Summary: What happens after the turn of events at the end of Clockwork Prince? Where does Will find himself? What will happen to the members of the Institute? In a sense, our version of Clockwork Princess.
1. Prologue: Shadows of the Flames

**A/N: Hello everyone! I'm back again, but not alone. This is a fic I'm collaborating on with a friend of mine. This is just the beginning, and we're starting things slow. Basically, it is what we think will occur in _Clockwork Princess_. This is just the prologue for now, so enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: The Infernal Devices belongs to the fabulous Cassandra Clare.**

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><p><strong>Prologue – Shadows of the Flames<strong>

"Magnus!" Will stormed through the open door, past a startled Woolsey Scott, into the sitting room where he threw himself into the love seat across from Magnus Bane, tracking mud everywhere. Magnus looked at the dark-haired boy in surprise. He definitely did not expect Will Herondale to come barging into Woolsey's house in the middle of the night, especially after their last meeting a couple nights ago.

Will stared ahead in deep concentration, his brow furrowed in deep thought. Suddenly, Will leapt up off the love seat and began pacing erratically. Angry heat rolled off him in waves, as rain dripped off of him. It had been a rainy day, although that was not uncommon for London.

"Will?" Magnus inquired, truly startled by Will's sudden appearance, and on top of that the anger he seemed to exude, "Last I saw you, you were happy that the curse was lifted. What's wrong? What's changed in the Institute? I thought you and Tessa would be happy now..."

Will stopped pacing and turned to look at Magnus. There was a new light to the boy; Magnus could tell that since their last encounter with Marbas, Will's walls had began to crumble away. However, beneath that layer of light, Magnus could sense him breaking again, cracking like shattered glass.

"I have lost everything," Will said solemnly, hurt and anger layering his voice. Sitting on the loveseat once again, he bent down and buried his face in his hands. Magnus had an odd urge to comfort the boy, but decided it was best to keep his distance.

"What happened?" Magnus asked again in a neutral tone, aware that Will was riding the thin line between anger and total destruction.

Will finally looked up and met Magnus' gaze. His expression was a pained one. "Tessa is engaged to marry Jem," Will managed to choke out, the words obvious poison to the boy.

Magnus felt his jaw drop in pure shock. Even he was speechless by the sudden turn of events. "What? I thought... you and Tessa... the balcony. I was so sure of it." Magnus gently laid his hand on Will's shoulder.

Will stood up suddenly again and walked across the room to the mantel. Magnus could no longer see Will's face, only his backside which sagged with the weight of his loss. The fire from the hearth was flickering, forming a strange halo around Will, illuminating his figure. "I was sure of it too," answered Will coldly.

Magnus could not help but feel his heart fill with sorrow. Will, who had just begun to heal was broken again. Magnus had a soft spot for the boy; he agreed to help the young Shadowhunter because of the certain fragility he bore with him. Will was also resourceful, daring and he cared so much for that certain gray-eyed girl that he sacrificed everything for her. Well, almost everything. He apparently drew the line at Jem. Magnus was impressed with Will's utter devotion to his _parabatai_; he would do anything for Jem, even if it meant life or death. Why, Magnus did not understand, especially when Tessa was involved.

"I don't know what to tell you, Will."

"I should be happy Magnus, not despairing about. I mean you should have seen the glee on Jem's face when he told us; his smile was so infectious that we all couldn't help for being happy for him. Plus, Jem is a lot stronger; his illness is not affecting him so much, ever since he and Tessa have been together-"

"Just because Jem is in love with Tessa doesn't mean he deserves her," Magnus interrupted quietly. However, Magnus knew that Will would never interfere with Jem's impending marriage. Magnus just wanted to help Will as much as he could, but he did not really know what to say. "Nor should you give Tessa up," Magnus continued. "You have the same right to be happy, Will."

Will did not respond to Magnus last comment. That was something he did not want to think about.

Pushing thoughts of Tessa and Jem aside, Will turned towards Magnus, the light returning to his sapphire eyes. "There's also Charlotte. Did you hear the news? She and Henry are going to have a baby." Will let out a short laugh. "They want to name him Buford. Well, more Henry does. I've never seen Henry so happy and actually focusing on something other than his bizarre inventions. And Charlotte no longer has to worry about that bastard Benedict Lightwood."

Will walked towards the window, looking out into the dark London night. Magnus could see Will's face reflected on the window pane, and his expression held a mix of emotions that were difficult to read. "There's also...my sister," Will said faintly.

"What about her?" Magnus asked, "I thought your sister was dead."

"Not, Ella," said Will, "Cecily. Cecily has returned." He didn't necessarily sound glad about this, but there was a trace of relief in his voice,

"I honestly don't know what to think of this. I mean when she showed up, she told us she had no where else to go. That scares me, Magnus. When I appeared at the Institute, I said the same, but it was _because _I couldn't go back home; the terrible burden of the curse would have killed my family. But now, hearing Cecily speak those same words, I can't bear to think what could have possibly happened."

Will faced Magnus. Magnus couldn't help but think of how a single mortal could endure so much pain, so much conflict, in just seventeen years of life.

"How would you like to take a small trip, Will?" Magnus asked suddenly, without thinking twice.

Will has a confused look on his face. "A trip?"

"Yes William, a trip," Magnus said. His face betrayed emotions devoid of lying, "I said I would help you only once, Will Herondale, and I vowed to myself not to help Shadowhunters often on a whim, but I fear it is time you need my assistance again. Where would you like to go? I hear Paris is lovely this time of year." Magnus's cat eyes sparked in the firelight.

Hesitantly, Will nodded. Will realized a trip was exactly what he needed. All of this- Tessa, Jem, Cecily, _especially_ Tessa- was too much. "Let me get my stuff. I'll meet you here in an hour." And with that, he stepped out of the sitting room.

The moment Magnus heard the front door click, a shadow loomed in the doorway. Magnus looked up to see Woolsey standing over him, a cigar in hand.

"Having a late night rendezvous with your young lover, Magnus?" said Woolsey in a taunting tone, a smirk forming at the corners of his mouth. "_And_ planning a trip to Paris? How romantic."

"Did you hear everything we just said?" Magnus asked, although he really didn't care whether or not Woolsey overheard his conversation with Will.

"No, just the last part about Paris. But really Magnus, going to Paris without me? That's just cruel. You know how much I've wanted to accessorize with a beret or two._ Voilà pour prendre soin de moi, mon amour._"

"I never said I was going without you," Magnus grinned, his yellow-green cat eyes gleaming again. Woolsey returned his grin before stepping out of the room.

Magnus stayed in the sitting room a long while after Woosley left though, reminiscing about what had just occurred. As he watched the shadows of the flames in the fireplace flicker and dance along the walls, he couldn't help but feel that things would only get worse for poor Will.

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry if the trip seemed to pop up out of the blue. We swear it will make more sense later on. We hope you liked this! Please review!**


	2. Chapter 1: A Sea of Shadows

**A/N: And we're back! With the first chapter, since the one before was more of a prologue. Thank you all for the encouraging reviews! Not much to say now, but read!**

**Disclaimer: We own nothing :D It all belongs to the amazing Cassandra Clare.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 - A Sea of Shadows<strong>

Charlotte looked down at her hands in shock. She was holding a neatly folded piece of cream-colored paper. She had read over the note inscribed on it twice now, and gave it to Henry, who had just read it and handed it back to her. Everyone was gathered around the dining room table: Jem, Tessa, Gideon, and Cecily. Even Sophie and Cyril, who were busy serving food and coming in and out of the kitchen, seemed intent to see what was going on, and stopped in their tracks. Bridget's depressing ballads could be faintly heard from the kitchen.

Everyone was looking at Charlotte intensely as she held the paper up in her shaking hands. None of them had seen or heard from Will; he hadn't showed up for dinner the night before, nor had he met them in the morning for breakfast.

They all were seated and had begun to dig into their breakfast food, but all eyes were on Charlotte. Tessa herself wasn't feeling very hungry. She felt her stomach flip in response to Will's absence, but brushed away the thought as she constantly repeated to herself _I love Jem. I am marrying Jem_.

Charlotte cleared her throat, breaking Tessa's thoughts. Everyone looked up at Charlotte, as she began reading the note aloud:

_I'm sure you all are wondering if I am passed out in some ungodly establishment, such as a ditch or brothel, but not to worry; I am only off to Paris for a few days. A friend of mine has invited me to see the sights and sounds, and perhaps visit the Paris Institute. I am in her capable hands. Never you fear!_  
><em>Will<em>

"Her?" exclaimed Tessa. The wave of jealousy that crashed over her surprised Tessa. Who could Will possibly know in Paris? Of course, why would she care? He rarely opened up on his past, except for that afternoon in the drawing room, which she was trying hard to forget. Tessa trained her thoughts back to the present: how young was this "friend"? Was she a Shadowhunter? _She is probably a better fighter than I am_, Tessa thought. _Will would like that_. She shook her head, clearing her mind of such notions. Why should she care? There was only one man that mattered to her now: Jem.

She quickly cast a sidelong glance at Jem to see if he had noticed her outburst. Jem just wore an amused look on his face.

"I wonder what Will could possibly want to see in Paris?" Tessa said quickly, partly as an attempt to cover up her jealousy, but also out of sheer curiosity. Tessa would have expected some snide comment from Jessamine, but the girl still remained in the Silent City. No one had any idea when she would be released, but the members of the Institute could care less. Tessa silently hoped it would be a while before she would see the girl again.

"I honestly don't know," Tessa looked up to see that Cecily Herondale had spoken, a hint of disappointment underlying her voice. Cecily had only been at the Institute for two days now since the night of her untimely arrival. Tessa met Cecily's eyes and couldn't help but feel herself pulled into those blue orbs of hers that resembled so much of Will. In short, Cecily was a female version of her brother, with her jet black hair, dark blue eyes, elegant curve of her neck, high cheekbones, and full lips. Tessa hoped the memory of Will would fade away, but Cecily's unexpected arrival did not help.

"Well," said Henry absentmindedly, as he grabbed his knife and started spooning through his porridge, "I am sure Will is fine." Seeing the worried look on his wife's face, Henry tried to reassure her. "Don't worry, Charlotte, he sent us a note. And we can always dispatch a message to the Paris Institute if something should happen."

"I know," said Charlotte, "and Henry dear, that's a knife, not a spoon." Realizing his error, Henry blushed and set the knife down and picked up the spoon.

"Besides," added Jem with a wry smile towards Henry, "This note sounds exactly like Will. Whatever he wants to do, he intends to be left alone. I know him better than anyone else, and if he seeks solitude, so be it."

Tessa couldn't bring herself to stop worrying about Will though. The note _did_ sound exactly like him and Will _did_ like to be left alone, but Tessa couldn't shake the feeling that something more was going on. Who was _her_? What could he possibly be doing with a Parisian girl? Moreover, Will was hardly one to go to Paris to see "the sights and sounds" or to visit an Institute. _This has nothing to do with you_ Tessa chided to herself. She needed to stop worrying. She was with Jem now, and Will was now a memory of the past that she needed to start forgetting about. Tessa then abruptly dismissed herself from breakfast and headed to her room.

She eventually found her way to her room. After being in the Institute for nearly six weeks now, she had pretty much familiarized herself with the large structure and it no longer felt like an enigmatic labyrinth. She thought of her tiny apartment in New York, where there was barely enough space for her, Aunt Harriet, and Nate.

_Nate_. His name rang in her mind as she remembered her last moment with him. Not the betrayal, his marriage to Jessamine, or his allegiance with the Magister, but when she had held his dying body him in her arms. Just like how she had done on the ride back from de Quincey's party. But this time, she knew she would never see Nate again.

Tessa reached for the door knob, shaking the thought of Nate out of her head. After opening it, she swung the door shut behind her. She sat on her bed as her hand absentmindedly started playing with her clockwork angel around her neck. She then felt for the jade pendant that Jem had given her when he proposed. She had started to get acquainted with the burden of two necklaces around her neck.

She scanned the room and instantly her eyes settled on a book at her bedside table. Tessa picked it up and looked at the bolded gold lettering across the green cover: _Vathek _by William Beckford. Without even thinking, she flipped it open to the title page and read Will's poem to her. Frustrated, Tessa threw the book across the room, trying to scratch the memory of Will out of her mind.

A small knock at the door cleared Tessa's anger towards Will. "Come in," she said quietly. The door opened to reveal Jem, who wore a bright smile across his lips. Tessa couldn't help but return his smile; it was very infectious. Casually, he leaned against the doorway.

"How are you feeling, _qin ai de_?" he asked, his smile still lighting his pale face. Then quickly he added, "that means my darling."

Tessa laughed happily, delighted to hear the flow of breathy vowels coming from his mouth and touched by his concern for her. "I'm fine, Jem. How are_ you_?" she asked in a more worried tone. Jem had been growing stronger as of late, but Tessa was not a fool; she knew what Jem's illness would eventually do to him.

He grinned. "Alright. But," he added with certainty, "something is bothering you. And if that's the case, I won't feel better until I know what is wrong."

Tessa bit her lip nervously, but she had gotten used to Jem's ability to read her. "Well..." she begun, "It's Will," she said, without thinking twice.

Tessa saw a look of confusion flicker across Jem's face.

"I know you think he's fine," she continued, "but since when has Will left notes concerning his whereabouts? This is certainly not like the Will we know." _But more like the new Will_, she thought to herself. She knew something had definitely changed in Will since he had declared his love for her and told her about the terrible curse inflicted on him, which no longer existed. But that was a Will that she would never get to know now, and she remembered silently agreeing not to tell anyone about his curse, especially Jem; Will would tell them at his own time.

Jem thought carefully for a moment before responding. "Will has been acting differently these past few days." He glanced at Tessa, a look of unbridled affection in his eyes. In a softer tone he added, "If Will isn't back in a week maybe we can convince Charlotte to let us go search for him."  
>Tessa was relieved by his suggestion, but her mind quickly flew to the thought of her and Jem travelling together. The fact that she would soon be married to him seemed so surreal. Unconsciously, she stepped towards him and wrapped her arms around his lithe frame, seeking comfort from his warmth. Jem returned the embrace, but not without lifting one of his hands and cupping her face with it. Slowly and gently, he tilted her face up to his and brought his mouth down on hers. Tessa returned his kiss gently. His mouth tasted tantalizingly sweet from the drug. He moved ever so slowly with her, as if drinking in every part of her and committing her to his memory. And for once, Tessa did not think of Will.<p>

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><p>Sophie quietly closed the door of the drawing room. She had just been in there with Mrs. Branwell. The elder Shadowhunter had called Sophie over to deliver afternoon tea, as Mrs. Branwell seemed to be occupied with affairs with the Enclave. Sophie knew it best to not ask, nor was it proper for a servant to do so.<p>

Sophie turned around suddenly and bumped right into someone. She looked up and met the softened, sea green gaze of Gideon Lightwood.

"Oh!" Sophie let out a surprised gasp.

Gideon smiled at her. "I beg your pardon, Miss Collins."

Sophie took the opportunity to observe Gideon. Her eyes roamed over the planes of his jaw, his broad shoulders, and his exuberant grin. She could see him doing the same to her, scanning her body as no man had done before.

Blushing deeply, she murmured a good afternoon to him and scuttled off down the corridor, leaving a confused and startled Gideon alone at the drawing room entrance.

**A/N: We're sorry if this was a little slow, but we promise, we're just building things up for later. More to come shortly! Please review!**


	3. Chapter 2: Shadows of the Past

**A/N: We are so sorry for the late delay! We truly are! We have had this written for a while, but we just needed time to add some more, edit it, blah blah blah. Yes, blame school for all this. Oh and Fannatix101, in response to your question, Will is only broken-hearted in the heat of the moment. One last thing, I changed my name from ShadowhuntingNephilim123 to this new name. If any of you are wondering why, there's an explanation on my profile lol. Anyways, without further adieu, here's the next chapter! It's long, only because there's a lot of explanation, so we are so sorry if it gets boring!**

**Disclaimer: We are not Cassandra Clare, but we sure wish we were!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 - Shadows of the Past<strong>

Will had safely returned to the Institute. He made no mention of his visit to Paris, nor did he seem to be in any mood to discuss his trip with anyone at the Institute.

"You never told me about Paris," Jem said to him a few days after Will had returned to the Institute. "Nor did you bring me anything back- that's just shameful William." Jem gave his friend a crooked smile.

Will grinned. "Forgive me old friend. It was quite a trip," he responded vaguely. His eyes seemed to be a million miles away, and he talked as if his heart wasn't up for it. "You would like Paris though, Jem," he added. "You need to go sometime."

Jem gave his _parabatai _a stern look. "Will," he said again, a sense of gravity weighing his voice.

"Fine," Will gave in, "I went to Paris because I needed some alone time. You know, after the shock of seeing my sister." _And the fact that you're engaged with the person I love the most, the woman that means everything to me_, Will thought to himself.

Jem smiled. "Well, if you ever need to go out alone, at least inform us better next time." And he laughed, and Will laughed with him, although his mind was not up for it.

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><p><em>Two and a half months later...<em>

It had been almost two and a half months since they last discussed Will's sudden disappearance. It was now mid-October. London had never been so gray outside. The crisp autumn wind blew the multi-colored leaves off their branches, forming heaps and piles in the courtyard of the Institute. The weather outside was beginning to cool down, so the members of the Institute spent their times indoors most of the time. Tessa had been preoccupied with the wedding plans, in which Cecily helped her out with, or with her training. Gideon Lightwood continued to train Sophie, but also helped Tessa and Cecily out. Will and Jem would come and go and join in whenever their assistance was necessary. Gabriel had completely stopped coming to the Institute. In fact, ever since Benedict Lightwood had that scandal of his, little was heard from either him or his son. It was literally as if they had disappeared, but everyone knew they were still there; they would still attend Enclave meetings, but that was all that everyone saw of them.

Will tore his eyes away from the window to avoid looking out at the bleak weather. He was seated in a sofa in the library, a copy of _Pride and Prejudice_ open on his lap. It was not his sort of book; he admired Austen's writing style, but Will wasn't a fan of sappy love stories. He was reading it because he knew it was one of of Tessa's favorites. Maybe he could learn to love this book, like he did with _A Tale of Two Cities_. Only Tessa had taught him that.

Will tried to read, but could not concentrate on the words on the page. His mind was elsewhere. He thought about that one day, a week after he had returned from Paris. He felt that he should explain things to Cecily; she was his sister after all. It was time he told her the truth of his past. He recalled telling Tessa that he would tell people about the 'curse' at his own pace, and thought it best if he told Cecily. Will had kept his distance from his sister; he wasn't very happy with the idea of her becoming a Shadowhunter. However, since she was his only family, he thought it was best if she knew.

Will remembered making his way to her room. Her room was located on the same corridor as Jem and Tessa's, just a few door down from Tessa's. Everyone was around each other, and Will felt like a loner, for his room was on the opposite side of the Institute in one of the towers. Will had gently knocked on her door, when Cecily's sweet voice answered, "come in." Will entered into her barren room, since she had only been at the Institute for nearly two weeks. Cecily had already began to assimilate naturally into the Institute and blended in with the other members, that her presence no longer foreign to Will.

Cecily looked up expectantly at Will as he entered her room. "Cecy, I've been wanting to tell you..." Will began.

"Yes Will?" Cecily asked her brother ever so gently.

"Do you remember anything of that day?" Will gulped, trying to find the right words.

"Will, you have to be more specific if you want to be going anywhere with this conversation," Cecily said sarcastically, "I haven't got all day." Will just stared. "Well, if you're not going to say anything, then I'm off to bed."

"No!" Will said, trying to stop her. He shut the door moved towards her and sat at the edge of her bed, patting the bed, gesturing her to sit beside him. Cecily, clad in her white nightgown, sauntered over hesitantly and sat down next to him. Will looked gravely towards the door, afraid that anyone might barge in the middle of their conversation. Will took a deep breath before telling Cecily everything:

"It was that day. It was rainy; we were living in Wales. Remember? I was twelve," Will continued. "I wandered into father's study and was looking through his relics from his days as a Shadowhunter. I came across a pyxis.

Will stopped speaking. His eyes were faraway, reliving the memory all over again.

"And?" Cecily interrupted quietly.

Will tore his gaze away from the wall and his eyes met Cecily's. "And out popped a demon."

Cecily's eyes widened. Though she had spent very little time in the world of the Shadowhunter world, she knew the terrible things demons could do.

"Its name was Marbas," Will added with a look of pain plaguing his handsome features. "He cursed me, saying that anyone who loved me would die, starting with Ella. Do you recall the day that Ella died?" Will let out a short, humorless laugh. "It was the day after I opened the pyxis, and I knew the truth, even if it hurt: the curse was real. I fled that night, swearing never to return. I found myself settling her in the Institute. For five years I lived with this curse. Can you believe it? Five years. I had to keep anyone who came close to me as far away as possible. So I told them falsehoods, the nastiest lies I could think of."

Cecily looked up at her brother in shock, her blue eyes as big as saucers. She finally found the courage to speak, and said, "you said you lived with it for five years. What happened now? Is it gone."

"There was no curse, Cecy." Now Will sounded angry. "I sought Magnus Bane, who helped me conjure up Marbas. He was a weakened demon; the curse was entirely false." Will's shoulders relaxed, as the tension of telling his sister relieved him.

"But Will, why now? Cecily couldn't hide the anger masking her voice. "Why did you wait five years before relieving yourself the curse? Do you know how painful those five years were for me? It was terrible Will. You have no idea. Waking up everyday and finding that Ella would always be dead and you would always be gone. You couldn't have figured all this out earlier?"

"I... I don't.. I can't." Will had no idea what to tell her. He couldn't tell her that it was about Tessa.

Cecily seemed to be reading his mind though. "There's only one thing I can think of that changed. It's that shape-changer girl? Isn't it? Miss Gray. I see the way you look at her. You love her, don't you?"

Will felt himself nod. His heart yearned for Tessa. But he knew he should be happy, for Jem's sake; he had never seen his brother so joyful in his life. "People do anything for love," said Will, "I just thought I would never be one of those people. Now, all of this is useless. She's engaged to Jem and I can't have her. All because of this stupid curse." Will kicked at the floor in frustration.

Cecily gently laid her hand on Will's shoulder. "But you haven't lost everything," she said, as softly as she could, "I'm still here for Will. All that you thought you wasted hasn't been thrown away. I love you Will, and I always will." Will's eyes lit up and he pulled his little sister into an embrace; he had at least part of his own family now.

Will suddenly looked up at a noise in the library, breaking him of his reverie. Church had entered and came to sit beside Will on the couch. Will distanced himself from the cat; Church sure loved Jem, but couldn't stand anyone else. His habit seemed to be biting people, so Will resisted the urge to stroke the cat. He stared straight ahead and felt his mind drifting again.

A week after he had informed Cecily of the truth, Will found his legs guiding him to the drawing room, where Henry and Charlotte were discussing plans of what to do next in their never-ending search for Mortmain. Sophie was hovering around them. Will felt dreadful pulling himself into that room; it always sparked memories of his last conversation with Tessa.

"Will," Charlotte looked at him with a startled expression, "I did not expect you to come here." Even Henry, who was fiddling with one of his inventions, set it down to give Will a surprised look.

"Charlotte. Henry," Will began, trying to think of how to tell them appropriately, "well, even you Sophie," he nodded in her direction. "As you might have observed, my behavior has dramatically changed over the past couple weeks." _Oh God, why do I have to sound so pathetic? So stupid. There has to be a better way_, Will thought to himself.

"Yes, Will, it has been most apparent. We thought it might have been something along the lines of demon pox, since you were very... ah... contented when you found out about Benedict Lightwood," Charlotte said, betraying no emotions.

"Well I was happy that I was right about demon pox, but that's not what I came to tell you," Will took a slight pause before continuing, "when I was twelve living in Wales, I opened a pyxis in my father's office. It unleashed a demon, who cursed me, telling me that anyone who loved me would die, beginning with my sister. I believed it, for my elder sister, Ella, died that night, so I fled and came here. Upon my arrival to London, I was fitting into a new family, and I had to keep you all at arms length." Will hesitated; he could not tell them of his love for Tessa. No one needed to know about that. "I couldn't bare living with this curse any longer, so I sought Magnus Bane and he helped me summon the demon that cursed me, Marbas. When he was successful, Marbas revealed there was no curse, and I was a fool to believe it. All my five years have gone to waste, and I have lost everything." Will felt exhausted, but somewhat relieved after telling his story to nearly everyone at the Institute.

Then, something unexpected happened. Charlotte walked over and pulled Will into a warm, motherly embrace. Shock ran through Will, and by the time he recovered, Charlotte drew away, a joyous look on her face.

"Thank you for telling us William," she smiled at him. Henry came over to her side, "no matter what, you have always been a part of our family." Henry was beaming at Will, and shook his hand, while Sophie, for a change, cast a softened glance rather than her signature scowl. Will was beginning to feel better about telling everyone the truth. Well, almost everyone.

Will pulled his attention back to his book. It was no use; he was not going to be like Darcy and get the girl of his dreams, much less propose to her since she was already betrothed. Engaged to Jem. Jem. His best friend, his blood brother, his _parabatai_. Jem. Will had told him of his curse only a week ago. It had been only a week ago since they had discussed Will's condition of the curse.

Will had come back from his nightly walk around the vicinity of the Institute. He had walked through the corridor that was all too familiar to him. On the left was Tessa's door, and across from that was Jem's. Will gently pushed it open, to see Jem moving away from the window and towards his violin case, stowing his violin away. Jem's silver features looked almost white in the pale moonlight.

Will didn't even make a sound when Jem spoke, "Will, Will. Is that you?" Will smiled at that. They were all too familiar with each other.

"Mind if I come in?" Will inquired hesitantly. Jem nodded in response and Will entered the room, plopping himself on an armchair next to the bed. Jem came to sit across from Will on his bed.

"Isn't it marvelous?" Jem's eyes glistened. His eyes seemed to be normal, the silver irises and the black pupils about equal to each other. "Soon, after all this mess is cleared out and Mortmain is found and defeated, Tessa and I will be married. I couldn't think of anything better in my life. Other than becoming your _parabatai_ of course."  
>"Yes, it is," Will managed to choke out. The thought of the two of them getting married made him sick to his stomach. But he should not let that overwhelm him; he had to put on his act and pretend to accept it. Pretending shouldn't be hard; he had been doing so for the past five years anyways. He should be an expert by now.<p>

"So what is it you wanted to tell me?" Jem asked, snapping away Will's thoughts.

"How do you know I wanted to tell you something? I could have been here to admire your violin playing," said Will lightly.

Jem snorted, "But you hate my violin playing. William, tell me what's bothering you." He looked up at Will with such love, love that only Jem could feel for Will and Will could reciprocate.

Will fiddled around with his fingers. He rarely got nervous around Jem. "Do you remember when you and Tessa became engaged?" Thinking those words to himself was hard enough, but speaking them aloud was like poison. Will had to get used to this now; he had to stay happy. For Jem, and for Tessa.

Jem laughed. "Of course I remember. It was a particularly happy day for me," he added with a grin.

Will forced a smile. "Yes, well, around that same time I found out something as well. Something extremely troubling, yet liberating."

Jem raised an eyebrow. "This wouldn't have to do with all your late night errands and running about would it?"

Will ignored Jem's question, he was still trying to find the right words to say. Will swallowed slowly and finally met Jem's gaze. He took a deep, shaky breath and told Jem everything. Everything involving the curse, everything about his family, everything about the weight that had been crushing him for so long. When Will was done, he let out a final breath, glad to be relieved of the burden following him everywhere. He looked straight at his _parabatai_, dark blue eyes meeting glistening silver eyes.

Will waited for Jem to respond. But there was nothing. Silence. Was Jem mad at him?

Finally, Jem spoke, "I'm not mad at you William, if that's what you're thinking." Will silently laughed to himself; Jem knew him so well that he could literally read Will's thoughts. "It's just I always knew this about you," Jem continued, "that there was something more to your… your insanity, your aloofness. I always believed there was a greater good to you, and there truly is. There always has been. I told you earlier that your walls are beginning to break, and they have. Now it's time for the new William Herondale to emerge."

Will shook his head one more time and returned back to his book. He tried to concentrate again on _Pride and Prejudice_, but he just was not up to it. He was already broken-hearted, and reading a love story would not repair the crevices in his heart. He reflected on all the people he told his curse: Tessa, Cecily, Charlotte, Henry, Sophie, and Jem. He definitely felt more free than before, because he could roam around the Institute without being bitter, uncaring, and callous. However, he could not be completely open; he had to pull together the mask of the old Will Herondale, the one who was aware of the 'curse', when he was around Jem and Tessa. No one needed to see and know of his love for Tessa. Will's thoughts drifted to _A Tale of Two Cities _and how for Sydney Carton, despite his strong feelings for Lucie Manette, he learned that if he loved someone enough, he would learn to let them go. And Will told himself the same about Tessa.

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><p><strong>AN: So there you have it! Such a relief to be done with this chapter... finally. Yes scold us all you can because of this super late update. So what did you guys think? We promise there will be more action and fun in the next chapter. Also, the ending with Jem we did not get from Cassie Clare. We wrote this before she put the deleted scene up, for those of you who were wondering.**

**Well until next time!**


	4. Chapter 3: Shadows of Darkness

**A/N: AHHHHHH! We cannot say how sorry we are for not updating! It's been like what? Six months since we last posted. We're terribly sorry and (hopefully) promise this won't happen again. Between finishing senior year, graduation, and moving into college, life has just been so hectic. Anyways, since you've probably waited a hell of a long time for this chapter, we'll end this note here. So read on!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3 - Shadows of Darkness<strong>

Juliet Verlac held the crinkled paper in her hands. She glanced down at it and then up at the townhouse in front of her, verifying that the address was correct.

This confirmation made her feel nervous for some reason; a sense of uneasiness tugged at her gut. Ignoring her anxiety, Juliet took a deep breath and pushed the gate forward. She walked up the stone path and reached the door, where she grabbed the elegant lion knocker and banged thrice at the door.

"Who dares disrupt my peace?" boomed a deep, loud voice.

"It's me, Juliet Verlac," Juliet replied in a strong voice. She removed the hood of her cloak and let her blonde curls tumble down her back. The door opened wide and revealed Magnus Bane, who looked disappointed at first, but his disappointment quickly disappeared as his façade was replaced by one of content.

"Juliet," Magnus said relieved, opening his arms up wide. Juliet immediately accepted the invitation and embraced Magnus, seeking his comfort and warmth.

"What brings you here?" Magnus asked as he released her.

Juliet looked around nervously. "May I come in?" she asked.

"Of course," Magnus replied, gesturing Juliet inside. Once inside, Magnus removed Juliet's damp cloak and placed it on the coat rack adjacent to the door. Her clothes were fully in view and Magnus stared in shock. She was wearing a lavender gown, which would have been elegant and fitted beautifully to her body if it wasn't so torn up. There were tears everywhere to the extent that Magnus could see Juliet's corset. Dirt smudges and grass stains covered the dress too. Her shoes looked like she had ran miles in them, and her hair was even worse. Magnus thought her hair looked fine in the doorway, but then again the lighting was poor and he did not have a good view until she had come into the home in the bright light. What would have been immaculate golden curls were a tangled mess, damp and dull in color and intertwined with grass, dirt, and bits of earth.

"Oh Magnus," she sighed. And with that Juliet embraced Magnus once more, but this time she clung tighter to him and started shaking. Magnus then realized that she was wracked with sobs, and immediately started stroking her hair to try and comfort and reassure her.

"They came Magnus," she said huskily, "they came in the middle of the night and attacked us."

"Who?" Magnus inquired.

And Juliet said the one name that Magnus was dreading: "Mortmain. Mortmain and his automatons."

"By the Angel, wh-," but Magnus was cut off.

"Magnus, what in bloody hell is going out there? Do you always invite guests without my own knowledge?" a voice boomed nearby. Magnus and Juliet suddenly broke apart to see a looming figure at the end of the hallway. As the person approached them, Magnus sighed in relief.

"Woolsey. Why do you always have to choose the wrong time to come?" Magnus asked, slightly irritated.

"And there you are wrong, my dear." Magnus threw Woolsey a puzzled look. "I did not choose. Choose is the act of deciding when to come. Oh no, no. I simply was at the wrong place at the wrong time. I just happened to be here. I would call that happenstance."

Magnus, choosing to ignore Woolsey's comment, rolled his eyes and simply introduced Juliet to Woolsey, who for once behaved himself around their guest.

After introductions,Magnus turned back to the girl. "First and foremost, we should take you to the London Institute. Charlotte Branwell is of best service and will take care to make sure you are comfortable. Which reminds me, why did you come here first? You should have gone straight to the Institute during an emergency like this," Magnus told Juliet.

"I needed your help first," Juliet said matter-of-factly.

Magnus straightened up at this. "Very well. What shall it be?"

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><p>Charlotte sunk into the couch in pure exhaustion. She was seated in the drawing room completely in shock after reading a letter that was addressed to the Institutes all around the world. Henry was busy in the crypt, Jem and Tessa were busy upstairs doing wedding planning, Cecily was training with Gideon and Sophie, and Will was out and about somewhere no one knew about, as per usual.<p>

The letter she held with trembling hands was addressed to her and Henry, from Consul Wayland regarding the Paris Institute. She had to read the letter over and over again to finally grasp what had happened. She had never thought that something like this could happen; it was beyond the unimaginable.

A rumbling in the hallway interrupted Charlotte's exhaustion.

"It always smells like something's bloody on fire in here," she heard Magnus Bane swear before he dramatically entered the room. As usual, he made an entrance with his lavish purple waistcoat, sparkling cat's eyes, and air of audacity. Trailing behind him was a pretty woman of about sixteen. Blonde hair tumbled down her shoulders in a fashion that belonged more on the body of a debutante than a Shadowhunter. However, she was not composed, to say the least. Her neck was lacerated with shallow wounds and bruises mottled her arms. She wore a lavender gown that was ripped everywhere and covered in stains. As Magnus and the girl approached Charlotte, Charlotte could only assume that this girl was somehow linked to the Paris attack.

"Charlotte Branwell, may I introduce you to Juliet Verlac of the Paris Institute," Magnus announced with a flourish of his hand towards Juliet. The woman, nodded her head ever so slightly at Charlotte before looking solemnly away.

Charlotte furrowed her brow in confusion. "I heard about the attack," she managed to say, "and I am deeply sorry about what happened. My heart goes out to everyone who lost their lives in the Institute. But I was wondering, I just received a letter from Consul Wayland and it said that everyone had perished..."

"Not her," Magnus replied. Charlotte would have guessed that Juliet wouldn't say anything, especially after the events of the night. "She narrowly escaped the attack, and first thing she did was come to me. Smart girl."

"How did you get here? To London?" Charlotte asked Juliet. Before Juliet could reply, a voice came from the doorway of the drawing room.

"Charlotte? What's going on in here?" Henry stepped in, followed by Jem and Tessa.

"Oh Henry, thank goodness you're here."

"I was on my way back from the crypt when I bumped into Jem and Tessa. We heard voices from the corridor and decided to check it out," Henry said matter-of-factly. The three of them entered the drawing room and stood by Charlotte.

"Glad you could join us," she said to them, a tone of relief in her voice. "As we were discussing earlier-"

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? Are you having your biannual everyone-thinks-Will-is-a-lunatic-meeting?" Will peeked around the corner of the door and sauntered into the room. He looked around with an intense interest in his eyes. Tessa couldn't help but notice he looked somewhat ragged, though Juliet was plenty enamored with him already. When he walked in, she had perked up instantly.

Not that Tessa cared.

"I've got a guest," said Magnus proudly as he presented Juliet with a flourish yet again.

Will raised one eyebrow at Juliet's scratched arms and torn dress. "It doesn't look like you've been treating her very nicely."

"Will, stop it!" Charlotte scolded, giving him a look of scorn. Will grinned at that, while Charlotte rolled her eyes. "I think it's best if we all sit down," Charlotte announced, ignoring Will completely. Everyone settled down and grouped around the hearth.

"So what's happened?" Henry asked as he shot a worried look at Juliet. Henry wasn't one to deal well with damsels in distress like Juliet.

Charlotte took a deep breath and started, "I received a letter earlier this night from Consul Wayland informing me of an attack that occurred in the Paris Institute this late afternoon. The battle was very brutal, and everyone who resided in the Institute was killed. The attack was done by none other than Axel Mortmain himself, accompanied by his automatons."

At that, everyone in the room had gasped. "Mortmain? How?" Will was the first to speak, looking absolutely appalled, "we haven't seen or heard of him in months."

"Apparently he was plotting," was Charlotte's terse reply.

"And apparently not everyone died," Magnus added as he nodded to Juliet.

Juliet still hadn't spoken a word during the entire meeting. Absentmindedly, she brushed at her skirt.

"Which reminds me, how did you get here Juliet?" Charlotte asked, looking directly at the girl. Everyone turned towards Juliet, curious about the same matter.

Juliet cleared her throat nervously. The entire room was rapt with attention. She took a deep breath.

"Mortmain sent me." The whole room went dead silent. "He sent me to you through a portal. He has a message. It's the only reason I was spared."

Jem was the first to recover from this shocking bit of news. "How fortunate," Jem remarked with a genuine smile.

Juliet's eyes narrowed with anger and filled with tears at the same time. "My entire family and all of my friends were slaughtered in front of me. I do not consider that fortunate."

Jem was on the verge of apologizing for his offense, but Charlotte interrupted him.

"But, how do we know we can trust you?" Charlotte asked, a bit wary of the fact that Mortmain sent her directly to them.

"You can trust her alright," Will said unexpectedly. Everyone then looked at him. Tessa narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Who was Will to know that a girl that had just turned up in the Institute could be trusted? Then again, why would Tessa care about who Will trusted and did not trust? It's not like they were really speaking. It was nothing for Tessa to dabble in, so she shook the thought out of her head.

"Then how do you know that, Will?" Charlotte inquired, breaking Tessa out of her thoughts. Juliet and Will looked across the room at each other, midnight eyes meeting emerald ones, some silent conversation being exchanged between them. Tessa eyed them again, a sour wave of jealousy coursing through her. She quickly brushed it off. Still, she couldn't help but notice that the moment seemed to be just between Will and Juliet, some untold secret she'd never be a part of. _Because I chose not to be a part of it_, Tessa reminded herself, shooting a quick glance at Jem.

Jem.

Her fiancé.

Her future husband.

Tessa's chest tightened at the thought, though she couldn't tell if it was because of happiness or fear.

"We're good friends." Will's voice brought Tessa back to reality.

"In what way?" Tessa couldn't help but blurt out. "I mean," she corrected, "how do you two know each other? If we are all to trust Juliet..." Tessa trailed off, trying to cover up her blunder in the matter at hand.

A faraway look crossed Will's face. He didn't even seem to see Tessa, or anyone else in the room for that matter.

Except Juliet.

"We knew each other from before," Juliet finally said, her French accent slightly reminiscent of Camille's. "Our families were close friends, but I had not heard from Will until a couple months ago. When he came to visit me in Paris,"Juliet paused. "We... trained together."

An odd sensation settled across the room; another one of Will's mysteries no one would ever come to know.

"I cannot help it if you do not trust me yet," Juliet continued, her voice growing stronger. "But I still have Mortmain's message. You may make what you will of it."

"We trust you," Charlotte said. "Any friend of Will's is a friend of ours as well." Will perked up at this and a ghost of a smile played across Juliet's lips.

"Well... what is it?" Henry asked curiously, unable to contain himself.

Charlotte shot Henry a look, as if to say to take it easy on Juliet, but Juliet was no weakling.

"He's coming for you. For all of you." Juliet looked directly at Tessa, acknowledging the shape-shifter girl for the first time that night. "And especially for you."

**A/N: Yeah, that probably wasn't as climactic as you were expecting, but we promise, this sets the scene for pretty much the rest of the story. And we decided to create our own character because Cassie tends to introduce new characters in each book, and we thought Juliet would be fitting. So please, please, please review! And we'll try and update faster next time!**


	5. Chapter 4: Hidden in the Shadows

**A/N: And we're back! A lot quicker than waiting six months! We apologize again for that inconvenience. Anyways, we'd like to give a shoutout to squirrelLOVA for being such a faithful reviewer! We appreciate your reviews every single time and they brighten up our day :D Now here's the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: No, no we're not the amazing Cassandra Clare. But we do wish we were her!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4 - Hidden in the Shadows<strong>

Tessa looked at the mirror in her room with disdain. Worry was etched in lines on her face, and her brow was furrowed. She tried to relax, but she could not pretend that Juliet's words had not bothered her.

_They're coming for you. For all of you._

Tessa remembered the chill she felt when Juliet's sharp, emerald gave met Tessa's own. There was a flash of something in Juliet's eyes when she looked at Tessa, but Tessa could not understand what it was.

_And especially for you._

Mortmain had been quiet for months. Surely things would work themselves out. As it was, Tessa had no time to worry about her unfounded suspicions and worries. She had to meet with Jem soon to plan the wedding.

Tessa sunk down into her bed with pure exhaustion. She tried closing her eyes and focusing her thoughts elsewhere, but her mind was a jumbled mess. Just thinking about the wedding made Tessa feel faint.

She loved Jem, truly she did, but things were... messy.

Tessa let out a great sigh, finding that sleep was not coming so easily to her. Needing an escape from her own world, Tessa tiredly got out of bed and headed to the library, the one place she could seek refuge from her chaotic, messed up world.

Tessa quietly shut the door to her room, before looking across the hall towards Jem's quarters. His door was slightly ajar, and she could hear the faint yet haunting sound of his violin streaming across the gap between them. Tessa wished that she could just stand there and enjoy the music, but decided that it best she should go to the library. She made her way through the dimly-lit corridor before stopping at Juliet's door. Juliet was at the other end of the hall, in a room that was much like her own. Tessa was not sure if she could trust the girl just yet, but she knew she could not judge people right away. Tessa had to give her time before she could decide for herself, and since Will did seem to know Juliet, Tessa figured she may as well give her a chance.

Shaking her head of her thoughts, Tessa made her way to the library. As she set foot inside, she felt a familiar feeling of comfort sinking in. Towering bookcases enclosed her on each side of her, but she was far from feeling claustrophobic, and more towards feeling at home. Tessa skimmed the various authors that encompassed her: Austen, Bronte, Blake, Chaucer, and of course the familiar Dickens.

Tessa leaned forward to pick up _Sense and Sensibility_, when she heard a rustle behind her. Startled, Tessa turned around to see where the noise was coming from, but the library was completely deserted. Of course, who would be there at nearly three in the morning, Tessa wondered to herself.

_CRASH_

With a thud, her book hit the ground and Tessa whirled around to find herself face to face with Will.

"Will," Tessa managed to breath out. Will narrowed his eyes at her, eyeing her suspiciously. In an attempt to get her eyes off him, Tessa looked behind him, where there was a pile of books scattered about the floor. "Let me help you with that," she said, while brushing past him to put the books back where they belonged on the shelf.

"You needn't have to do that," Will said bluntly, crouching down and helping her shelve the books. Tessa ignored him and continued to put away the books, sneaking a glimpse at the titles: _Shadowhunter Burials_, _Nephilim in Rome, The Encyclopedia of Downworlders, Fifty Shades of Shadowhunters. _These titles piqued Tessa's curiosity, and without thinking, she decided to ask Will about the books he happened to be looking at:

"Why all these books?"

"Come again?" Will asked back, a puzzled look crossing his face.

Tessa cleared her throat, before speaking again, "I mean, why all these sort of books? I thought you would be browsing the Dickens section."

"Just because I read fiction does not mean I have to devote myself entirely to that genre, Tessa," Will stated, sounding exasperated. They had finished putting all the books away; Tessa saw this as an opportunity to leave. As she began to walk away, Will cleared his throat.

"Are you forgetting something Tess?" Tessa whirled around and saw that Will was holding out _Sense and Sensibility _to her. Tessa silently took it in her hands, but for some reason, found her feet glued to the floor, resisting to leave this moment with Will. It was the first time since that day in the drawing room that they had found each other alone together.

"Will," Tessa took a deep breathe. The first thing she looked at were his eyes. They were stony and unwelcoming, and ever blue. Tessa wished more than anything for him to look at her the way he used to - with gentle admiration and interest.

Not with, well, hatred and loathing.

"If you want to say something, just say it already," Will said harshly.

Tessa felt as if her heart was being pierced again, but ignored that feeling and took another deep breath.

"Can we speak about what has happened?" she asked quietly, her voice nearly a whisper.

Will's face remained marred with anger, but his shoulders relaxed slightly, the tension slowly wearing off. "Clearly Mortmain is plotting again, but we'll just have to deal with matters as they arise." Will frowned slightly, some unspoken worry on his mind.

"That wasn't what I was speaking of," Tessa said. She was surprised at how shaky her voice sounded. Tessa felt like an invisible weight was pressing on her chest. "I was speaking of... of us." Will tensed up again, his eyes not filled with anger, but with sadness and self-loathing.

Will said nothing and Tessa knew not how to respond to his silence.

After a few moments, Will cleared his voice. "There is nothing to discuss, Tessa," he said hoarsely.

"Yes there is!" Tessa exclaimed. At the sharp tone of her voice, Will raised his eyebrows and widened his eyes in surprise. "For months now you have been ignoring me and giving me the cold shoulder. I know this is related to Jem and me, but I just cannot take it any more. I thought we could go back to being friends at the most and discuss novels just like we had in the old times. I feel so out of sorts sometimes and I just feel so... alone. One of my greatest friends looks at me with such hostility. I grow tired of having to always face his-"

"You don't understand Tessa," Will interrupted, his words growing stronger as time passed. "I cared for you. I care for Jem. You two are to be married. We can't go back to being what we were; I cannot have those feelings for you, any kind of feelings. Jem more than anyone deserves to be happy, and he's found that happiness with you. I've accepted that." Will paused. "I'm sorry you feel alone and abandoned, but think of what you're asking me." Though Will's voice was hard, there was almost a pleading note in it as well.

Tessa was beginning to feel tears prick the corners of her eyes. Why was everything so difficult?

"We cannot even be friends now?" Tessa managed to ask, tears brimming her eyes. _I musn't cry_, she chided to herself. _Aunt Harriet will think I am such a mess if I start weeping in front of a man who is not my betrothed_.  
>Will said his next words with absolute certainty. "No, Tessa. We can be... 's it. Nothing more. You need to understand that."<p>

Will took note of her tears and all of her sorrow. He did not understand what was going on with Tessa. She had clearly made her decision to be with Jem. To not be with him, William Herondale. He did not understand what was so complicated. She had made her choice. He should've hated her. Will thought there was a part of him that actually did.

And still he felt the need to console her, to make everything better.

Will slowly reached out his hand to cup her cheek. "Tess," he said softly, his voice filled with a mix of adoration and concern.

Tessa looked up at him, her storm gray eyes meeting his sapphire blue ones. "Yes?"

Will suddenly heard a voice call out. "Tessa?"

Instantly his hand dropped, and he took two steps back in revulsion. What the hell was he doing? Tessa was to be married and not to him- to his _parabatai_. Will Herondale was a lot of things, but he was not dishonorable. He grew angry at the thought. He wouldn't do something like that to Jem.

Tessa couldn't help but let a few tears run down her cheeks at Will recoiling back from her like she was a leper. Will seemed so... right. It was as if his hand belonged there.

Will held her gaze a moment before turning around and storming out.

This made Tessa want to full out sob, but Jem was nearby somewhere. She had to compose herself. Tessa began to wipe her tears away and make herself appear as if nothing had shook her up.

Jem peaked his head from around the doorway. "There you are," he smiled at her, his face full of love and devotion as he made his way towards her. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips before speaking again, "I saw Will storming out of here in a frenzy. Is everything alright?"

Tessa tried to laugh, in an attempt to ease the conversation, but it sounded like more of a wheeze. "Oh you know Will and his books."

Jem smiled warmly at her again. "Indeed I do. Shall we sit down?" he asked. "Try and narrow down our guest list perhaps?"

Tessa forced herself to return his grin. "Of course, Jem, that sounds lovely."

But Tessa was lying. It didn't sound lovely. All she wanted to do was lay in her bed and fall into a dreamless sleep for the next fortnight. No dreams about the wedding or Jem, and especially none of Will. She wished she could forget everything that had happened in the last six months; she only wanted to be back in her tiny apartment in New York with Aunt Harriet and Nate. But that would never happen.

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><p><strong>AN: So a little Will and Tessa tension in this chapter, but there's still more to come. We promise that the next chapter will be a little more climactic. Anyways, don't forget to review! We love feedback!**


	6. Chapter 5: In the Shadow World

**A/N: Hey everyone! We're back again, and this time we have a long chapter, so sorry for the wait. Anyways, here it is and don't forget to review!**

**Disclaimer: We don't own anything of Cassie Clare.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5 - In the Shadow World<strong>

Whoever said dreams were sweet was wrong.  
><em>Tessa found herself running down a long, dark corridor. Something was chasing her, but she could not see what it was in the impending darkness. She quickly careened around corner before tripping over her dress. <em>Damn these skirts, _Tessa cursed to herself before hastily picking herself up, bunching her skirts, and making a run for it again. Sweat beaded across her brow as she felt the heat of whatever was behind her. _

_Tessa continued to run forward, squinting her eyes to see what lay beyond her. She couldn't see anything except pure darkness. Abruptly, she collided head first into a wall and fell straight on her back, screaming in pain._

_ The place suddenly lit up. Tessa noticed candelabras on either side of the stone walls mysteriously being lit, as if some ghost was shining some light into the passageway. _

_Then, she saw it. Or rather them._

_Whatever was following her was not one thing, but two creatures. They were elongated and covered in smooth, shiny scales and were slithering towards her. As they approached, Tessa realized they were Chinese dragons, reminiscent of the ones she had seen on some of Jem's belongings. In the light, she could see that one was a sapphire blue, while the other was a pure silver. Tessa gasped for breath, paralyzed with fear, as the dragons began to circle around her, leaving her with no way to escape._

"_You must chose quickly Tessa. Time is running out," the blue dragon spoke first. It spoke without moving its mouth. The oddest part about this was that its voice resembled the familiar drawl of Will's._

_Tessa raised her eyebrows in confusion, while the dragons continued to circle her. "What?" she managed to say aloud, feebly._

"_You know that time is slipping by us fast," said the silver dragon, holding Jem's usual kind tone. "There is one or the other. You cannot have both."_ Have both what_, Tessa wondered to herself._

"_Choose Tessa, choose Tessa, chose," both "Will" and "Jem" kept chanting._

"_Yes, do choose Tessa my dearest," came another voice, but not that of Will or Jem. A figure appeared through the dragons and came closer and closer to her. As it neared, it dawned on Tessa that it was no one but Axel Mortmain himself. There was something different about him... he moved in almost a mechanical motion. When he was at Tessa's level, it appeared to be not the human Mortmain, but rather a clockwork version of him._

"_Soon, you will not be theirs, but mine. Mine forever!" Mortmain said robotically, then let out a sinister laugh as Tessa closed her eyes and convulsed in repulsion. When she opened them, Mortmain reached out a mechanical arm towards her. Tessa spun around, but found there was no way out._

"_You'll never escape from me!" Mortmain begun to laugh again. "Never! Never-"_

A firm shake on her shoulder jolted Tessa out of her dream. Perhaps dream wasn't the correct word.

Nightmare.

It was a nightmare.

"Sorry, Miss Tessa," said Sophie in a voice as soft as suede. "You will miss lunch if you continue to sleep."

Tessa blinked, trying to accustom herself to the comfort of her room and away from the shadowy darkness of her dreamworld.

"Right, of course. Much obliged, Sophie."

Sophie helped Tessa into a lavender dress and then pinned her hair up before she headed back to the dining room to help set up the meal. Tessa had slept on it in such a fashion that made her hair look unpresentable if she wore it down, but thankfully it looked better now.

Tessa smelled the delicious scent of rolls wafting in through the doorway before she saw them. As she walked along the corridor, Tessa could not help but think about the dream, or rather the nightmare she had just had. The words of Mortmain silently haunted her, echoing in her head. _You'll never escape from me_. For some queer reason, Tessa felt like those words held some validity and that this would not be the last time she would hear them. By the time that Tessa entered the dining room, she had lost her appetite.

Jem and Will were both already seated. Tessa couldn't help but notice how different they were from each other, both physically and emotionally. Will, with his straight posture and dark, chestnut hair, exuded confidence. Jem with his sharp silver eyes and easy going smile always radiated kindness. Tessa loved that about him.

However, they were both men who muddled Tessa's mind. She knew not how to deal with what she had just dreamt. While Mortmain's presence scared her, the two dragons that seemed to represent Jem and Will were equally unnerving. Though Tessa had slept after last night, she had not forgotten her conversation that she had with Will in the library and her time with Jem afterwards.

Loud laughter shook Tessa out of her reverie. The laugh had come from Juliet, who was seated next to Will. Unlike Tessa who felt awful due to that terrible dream, Juliet looked to be having a gay, merry time. She was wearing a maroon dress that contrasted well with her blond locks and emerald eyes: she was breathtakingly beautiful. She oddly resembled Camille Belcourt, not only in looks, but also in mannerisms, for they both had a catlike grace to them. Juliet, however, was, well, alive. It was hard to miss the distinct way Juliet's body was turned towards Will, as if their conversation was solely between the two of them. Each of them appeared to be were savoring each other's words.

Juliet tossed Will a smile. "Do you remember that one summer we spent in Wales? We were about eight and we were running about in the park near your home with that bread we had stolen from the kitchen, looking for some birds to feed? And we found a family of ducks?" she asked Will, her French accent profound.

"That was a very traumatic time for me. I still blame you for what happened, Juliet," Will said, wagging his index finger teasingly in her direction.

Juliet just laughed. "Usually when ducks waddle away from you, William, you aren't supposed to follow them! You especially shouldn't follow them into a lake!"

Tessa approached them and sat silently next to Jem, feeling a bit awkward about interrupting Will and Juliet's conversation. Jem gave Tessa a sweet smile, while reaching for her hand. He gave it a soft squeeze, which she reciprocated.

Will and Juliet did not seem to mind Tessa's intervention; in fact, they had not even realized that Tessa had come to join them for lunch. They were fully engrossed in whatever it was they were talking about.

l"You told me they needed bread or else they'd starve to death!" Will exclaimed, his voice once again capturing Tessa's attention.

"Well," Juliet admitted, "they looked hungry. And besides, how was I supposed to know the father duck would charge at you in the water and try to bite your nose off?"

Will sniffed. "I still have a scar from that horrid moment in my life."

Juliet rolled her eyes. "There is no scar on your nose, Will."

"But there is an emotional scar! One I shall carry with me forever," Will finished dramatically before grinning.

"Ah, so that's why Will doesn't like ducks?" Tessa interrupted, attempting to join in their merriment.

"One of the many reasons," Jem responded mysteriously.

"Ducks are strange creatures," Will mused to himself.

"Some might say you are also a strange creature, Will," Juliet added, a beguiling look in her eyes that suggested Will was definitely not strange in a bad way.

Was Tessa mistaken or was Juliet _flirting_ with Will? And so outspokenly, in front of everyone here? A queer sensation began to build in Tessa's gut.

_Perhaps the French have different customs than we do over here_, Tessa thought, trying to reassure herself. Juliet couldn't possible be interested in Will in _that_ way; she had only been here a few days. _And how long did it take _you_ to fall for him?_ a voice inside her head spoke. She ignored the voice and focused back on Juliet and Will.

Tessa supposed that they had known each other for years, judging on what Will had told them the other day when Juliet first arrived and this conversation that Tessa just witnessed. But besides, Will did not have any feelings for Juliet, right? He couldn't possible, based on what Tessa had just seen between the two. Will probably thought of Juliet as more of a close friend. He couldn't be falling in love with her. Quite yet that is.

Forgetting about Juliet and Will, Tessa returned her focus back to the table, where Sophie and Cyril were laying out lunch for them. Tessa stomach rumbled hungrily when she eyed the bread rolls and roasted chicken in front of her. She had skipped out on breakfast after sleeping in late and did not realize how hungry she really was. She eagerly reached for a roll and buttered it before sinking her teeth into it's doughy goodness, savoring the taste of freshly baked bread.

"Oh good, you're all here," Charlotte had come into the room, accompanied by Henry, Cecily, and Gideon. Their entrance took Tessa's mind briefly off the delicious food she had been devouring. "We have some news to discuss," Charlotte continued, as she sat down at the head of the table. Everyone's ears perked up at this and turned to face Charlotte.

"As you all probably guessed, we have to discuss Mortmain and his plans to come," Charlotte said once she had garnered everyone's attention. "After what happened in Paris yesterday, we cannot act passively anymore. We have to ready ourselves and act defensively to ensure that Mortmain does not gain the upper hand." Charlotte then turned to Juliet, maintaining eye contact with her. "Juliet, if you don't mind, can you please elaborate on the events at the Paris Institute? It will be best if we all know what occurred so we can create a plan to try and put a stop to this madness."

Juliet took a deep breath before beginning her story: "Well, in all honesty, everything happened quite suddenly that it was hard to process what was going on in the moment."

"Please, just try to remember as much as you can," Charlotte said gently, her eyes pleading for Juliet to recall the night's events.

Juliet nodded before continuing. "We had finished our daily late afternoon trainings and were making our way to supper. Before doing so, all the members of the Institute returned to their rooms to freshen up. I had gotten a little side tracked and made a quick stop at the stables to feed the horses before retiring to my room. Good I did this, for I had no idea what was to be expected in the time to come.

"I was only situated in my room for a few minutes when I heard some clashing noises from within the walls of the Institute. It seemed odd that it would be so raucous, especially at that hour of the day. I decided to ignore it and continue fixing myself up for dinner. By the time that I was all ready, I heard a soft knock on my door.

"One of the butlers, Toulouse, had come to my door, a look of fear spread across his face. He spoke of an army that was ravaging through the Institute, an army of mechanical beings, of clockwork gears. He told me it best if I evacuate my room and that he would take me to a safe place away from Mortmain. No one had seen Mortmain yet, but they knew quite well that he was behind all this.

"Toulouse led me out of room and took me to the Sanctuary. Along the way, I saw some of the damage that the clockwork creatures had left behind. There were burned spots everywhere, and bodies, both of servants and Shadowhunters, were strewn all over the floor. I had to quench my disgust and focus on getting out safely. According to Toulouse, Mortmain had the whole place barricaded so that no one could get in or out.

"We had fortunately reached the Sanctuary in one piece, able to avoid all the creatures. Right when Toulouse opened the doors, he suddenly collapsed onto the floor. I turned him over to see if I could get him to speak, but he was lying in a pool of blood, a knife jutting out of his stomach. And behind his body was none other than Mortmain, grinning at us as though he expected my timely arrival.

"He was holding a gun that was aimed right at me. Only then had it dawned on me that I was naked - I had no weapons or gear on me. He just continued to grin at me, as if... as if he knew I was defenseless. He said that there was only one possible way that I could get out alive: if I promised to bear a single message to you. He spoke directly about the London Institute residents, and especially that of Theresa Gray."  
>At that, everyone's eyes turned to Tessa. Tessa gulped, trying to relieve her nervousness. Juliet continued on with her story:<p>

"I agreed to him, only to spare my own life. With that, Mortmain somehow miraculously created a portal and portaled me directly to London.

"He portaled you?" Charlotte interrupted, a strange look on her face.

Juliet nodded before continuing with her story.

"When I had arrived, only then did I realize that I was wearing a cloak in which Magnus' address was in it. It must have been in there for years. Or perhaps Mortmain had slipped it in. I hoped it was correct. With a couple of inquiries to passersby, I was able to find Magnus. And the rest you know from there."

Juliet finished her story with a resigned look across her face. Everyone else around the table glanced at her solemnly.

"Well," Charlotte finally said, breaking the silence, "it seems the only thing we can do is prepare. Mortmain is up to something, and while hopefully our channels figure out what that is soon, I want everyone to focus on training. These clockwork creatures are clearly unlike anything we have dealt with in times past. Mortmain has seemed to miraculously make them stronger and nearly undefeatable. We must work on training ourselves even more if we have to face such terrible creatures."

"You know what that means," Will winked at Jem, but it was Juliet who answered him.

"Looks like it's time to get back to what we do best. I would love to see your training quarters."

Will smiled at Juliet in a way Tessa couldn't decipher. It was as if ithey were sharing some sort of inside joke. Tessa shook her head to get her mind off them and left the room.

* * *

><p>Tessa made her way back to her room to change out of her everyday clothes and into the provided Shadowhunting training gear. Even though she had been training for nearly three months, she still felt indecent and exposed in those clothes. Tessa looked at herself in the mirror and saw how the gear literally clung to every part of her body, accentuating the shape of her bust, hips, and legs. She had the temptation to put a skirt on, but she knew she couldn't.<p>

Tessa wobbled her way out of her room and walked to the training room. When she arrived, Cecily and Sophie were already clad in their gear and were waiting anxiously for their training. The three women were unsure of what to expect and were not exactly looking forward to the rigorous training that was yet to come.

The doors burst open and Gideon Lightwood walked in, stalked closely by Will. The three of them raised their eyebrows in confusion when they saw Will, who winked at them in return.

"As Charlotte told you, we are need of desperate training. And in desperate times come more demand. So, I have volunteered to accompany Gideon in training," Will said matter-of-factly, as if to answer the unasked question of his sudden appearance. "Gideon will continue to assist Sophie," Will continued, "while I have been put to the task to train Tessa and Cecy."

"What about Jem?" Tessa asked automatically. "He could just train me." Tessa wished that those words hadn't come out of her mouth. It made her seem like she was avoiding Will. She was, but she did not want everyone else to know that.

"Jem," Will turned to look at Tessa piercingly, "is not feeling well, and is best if stays in room and rest. Surely you do not want him to burn himself out before your impending nuptials, am I right?" With that, he looked at Tessa in such a challengingly way that it scared her slightly.

Tessa opened her mouth to protest, but Gideon cleared his throat loudly, capturing everyone's attention. "So anyways," Gideon said, giving Will and Tessa a questioning look, "today, William and I will be teaching you three how to block in the case of a close range attack. We will practice both kicking and punching, as well as self-defense with knives. Will, if you can please come over here and help me demonstrate." Will gave Tessa one last look before going over to join Gideon.

"You play victim," Will told Gideon primly.

Gideon shot Will an unamused look. "Nice try."

Suddenly, the room took on a strange air. Gideon and Will readied themselves. And then Gideon leapt right into the fight.

What Tessa saw next she could barely follow; it was like a dance she didn't know the steps to. When Gideon would lunge, Will would recoil back, and land perfectly light on his feet, looking for an opening to swipe at Gideon with his fists or land a kick. Will made his moves carefully, as did Gideon. While Gideon fought well, he wasn't as graceful as Will. Will's movements mesmerized Tessa. She wished she could fight like that.

Abruptly, the two stopped fighting.

Gideon breathed heavily. "Eventually, you will fight like this. For now, let's break each movement down," he instructed to the girls, then nodded to Will.

"First," Gideon continued. "Always keep your fists up. Your weakest zone is here." Gideon drew an invisible rectangle from Will's neck to his torso. "This seems like a basic maneuver, but you will be surprised at how often you will forget."

Gideon and Will rambled on a few more minutes about techniques before they split up to practice. Whereas before Tessa had been mesmerized seeing Will fight, she now felt terrified to do it herself, not because of Will's obvious level of skill above her's, but more because of after what had transpired between her and Will as of late.

"So," Will drawled with a slightly sour look on his face, "who wants to go first."

"I will," Cecily said immediately. Tessa looked over at Cecily briefly. There was a fiery look in her eyes that matched that of her brother's; Cecily wanted to prove herself, to show she was better than what others thought of her. She was determined.

It was a look, Tessa thought with surprise, that she often saw on Will.

Or rather that she used to see on Will.

A loud thump caused Tessa to jerk her head away from Cecily to across the room.

What she saw surprised her indeed.

Gideon had Sophie pinned beneath him, and while there was nothing oddly suggestive about the pose, the sporadic rise and fall of Sophie's chest and Gideon's inability to look anywhere but at Sophie made Tessa squirm uncomfortably. An odd heat flushed Tessa's cheeks as she looked away from the two of them. The moment seemed private for some reason, and Tessa found it best not to be nosy about it.

Will, however, had no such reservations.

"Unlike some in this _very_ room," he addressed in a casual, conversational tone, "_my_ team will actually be working today." Will crossed his arms and faced Gideon and Sophie. His tone was far from malicious, although there was a hard look in his eyes. Tessa suspected this came from his dislike of Gideon, or more of from the Lightwoods in general.

Realizing that the entire room was looking at them, Gideon and Sophie suddenly leapt apart from each other. Tessa noted that Sophie's cheeks were an astonishing shade of red. Gideon shuffled uncomfortably before shooting Will a scathing look, which Will returned with a grin. At that, Gideon rolled his eyes at Will before returning to training with Sophie and keeping a slight distance from her so he wouldn't receive any more rude remarks from Will.

Will also refocused on his pupils.

"Well my fair sister," Will announced, "let's have a go at it then."

Cecily, fearless, marched to her spot on the mat arena. Will made the first swing, which Cecily blocked ably enough, but, as Gideon said they would, Cecily dropped her fists, exposing her upper torso and allowing Will the perfect opening to overpower his sister.

"Not bad for your first attempt," Will said as he gave Cecily time to get off the floor.

Cecily glared at him. "I still would have gotten myself killed."

Will shrugged. "Yes, well, you can't have everything in life. Luckily, you can practice die as much as you like."

Cecily sighed in irritation, "but Will, what if this was the real thing? I could not just make silly mistakes like I just did. You have to be more realistic. It is not all a joke and you do not have to be sarcastic about everything in life."

"Cecy, you exaggerate. You know I'm not always like that," Will said softly, but still with a hard edge.

"Oh, right, I forgot about how brooding you are, which is pretty much all the time."

Will glared at his sister. "I've had my reasons and this is no place to discuss it. You're so concerned about dying? Perhaps we should actually train."

Tessa was shocked at Will's tone, but one glance at Cecily's face and she knew that Cecily was not one to fall prey to such words. She was Will's sister after all.

"Your reasons? Oh right, I forgot this supposed "curse". Don't you remember Will? The curse is long gone. You're still living in the past, which disgusts me. Why can't you just go back to the way things used to be? The way it was before all this."

Tessa felt extremely out of place. She knew not whether to walk away and attract attention or wait and burn with awkwardness.

"You know I can't," Will said simply.

"You can't do this, and you can't do that." Cecily threw her arms up in exasperation, "Well, you know what Will? If you are going to keep behaving like this, then I quit. I thought I would be the one person you would be open to, being family and all, but clearly I was in the wrong." And with that Cecily stormed out of the training room, slamming the door behind her. Will just stood in place, completely ashen, looking at the door with an appalled look on his face.

"Well," Tessa awkwardly began, "are you not going to follow her?" Tessa had the strange urge to follow Cecily, but she stayed put.

"No," Will said, still with a shocked expression, his voice hollow, "Cecily was right. She is a young woman now and she can fend for herself. I think its best she sorts this out for herself." He turned to Tessa, fully realizing she was still there.

"Shall we continue with our training?" he asked. Tessa nodded in response. Will then resumed his training with Tessa by throwing a few punches and kicks at her, which she defended fairly well. Will still knocked her to the ground within a few minutes, but with each round that past, she outlasted him longer and longer.

Will, however, had no praise to give Tessa once the hour had passed. Tessa's confidence deflated slightly as she second-guessed herself, since Will was still preoccupied with his sister.

"Well, it looks like that's it for today," Will said, as he saw Gideon and Sophie packing up. "You did well, Tessa. Next time, we will work on close range attacks with knives, since we didn't get to that today."

"Not so fast, Will" said a voice from the door. Everyone looked up, and Juliet stood at the entrance, leaning against the door with a smug look across her face.

"J-Juliet," Will stumbled nervously. Tessa raised her eyebrows up at them. When did Will get nervous? Tessa didn't think she'd ever seen him so anxious around someone before.

"I want to see how well you really taught your pupils," Juliet stated plainly, "or more of your pupil." She looked directly at Tessa, intensity burning in her eyes.

"Me?" Tessa couldn't help but let out.

Juliet gave a small smile. "It will be fun."

Tessa gulped nervously, unsure of what to say next. Tessa had no idea what kind of a fighter Juliet was, and was no doubt less prepared than the other girl.

Will appeared by Tessa's side, which felt reassuring to Tessa. "Remember Tessa," he said softly into her ear, "always keep yourself defended and keep your guard low." And with that, he walked over to the side of the room and stood by Gideon and Sophie to watch.

Tessa stepped a few paces back so that she was directly opposite and in full view of Juliet. Tessa did not like what she saw. Juliet had already taken her stance and looked a hell of a lot more confident than Tessa did. In a blink of an eye, she was off, already pinning Tessa to the ground. _Damn Shadowhunter speed_, Tessa thought to herself.

Tessa shoot a quick look over at Will who seemed to be looking at Juliet with a pleased expression on his face. Oh how Tessa wished that Jem would be there to cheer her on. He always knew how to keep her happy even in the darkest of times.

Tess shook her head. But Jem wasn't there, and she needed to focus. She needed to prove to everyone that she was strong and not weak, even if she was fighting a fully trained Shadowhunter. With all her strength, she kicked Juliet long and hard in the stomach, which surprised the girl and she quickly let go of Tessa, who found herself getting back onto her feet. Tessa grinned down triumphantly at Juliet, who in turn unexpectedly swiped her foot at Tessa, causing Tessa to fall down to the ground again. She tried to get back up, but Juliet was not going to give her any breaks. Immediately Tessa was back on the floor again. This time she didn't get up.

"You are a very good fighter," she breathed, trying to catch her breath. Like Will, Juliet had a way of fighting with the grace of a lethal dancer.

Juliet nodded. "You are a fast learner." Once again, Juliet struck at Tessa again, but this time aimed towards her torso, completely knocking Tessa to the ground. Tessa tried to stand up, but the pain where Juliet had punched her still lingered. Sophie gasped and ran over to Tessa's side to help her up.

"You've improved since the last time we saw each other," Will remarked to Juliet as he came forward into the arena, completely ignoring Tessa. Although, Tessa was happy he seemed to momentarily forget about her so she could scramble to her feet and attempt to not look like a weakling. Her ribs ached in the process of getting up, and she winced in pain.

Juliet laughed. "I should hope so. Perhaps we could practice with each other sometime. I think you have a lot you could learn from me.

Will smirked. "You are awfully confident, Ms. Verlac."

Juliet smiled demurely at Will before opening her hand out to Tessa. "That was a good match, wasn't it?"

"Yes, yes it was," Tessa narrowed her eyes and reluctantly shook Juliet's hand.

"Come along Miss Tessa," Sophie interjected, "let's go and put some ice in that rough spot there." Tessa unintentionally winced at that, not wanting to sound even more weak in front of Juliet and Will. Tessa let Sophie guide her away from the training room, not wanting to look back at the others in humiliation.

* * *

><p>"There, there. Is it all better miss?" Sophie asked Tessa kindly. She had finished applying ice to the sore spot on Tessa's torso, which was beginning to feel a lot better.<p>

"Yes, much obliged Sophie," Tessa replied to the other girl. "Too bad I'm not a Shadowhunter. I could have just applied an _iratze_ and would have been as good as new."

"Well, you can't be so sure of that," Sophie said.

"Why's that?" Tessa inquired curiously.

"It's just what Miss Jessamine said a couple months ago. When she was tried under the mortal sword." _Jessamine_. Tessa hadn't thought of her in ages and felt a pang of guilt run through her body. Then again, Jessamine did deserve her fate, even if it was out of love. Love for someone who Tessa was ashamed to call her brother, or rather her cousin.

"Remember?" Sophie asked, breaking Tessa of her thoughts.

"Oh, of course I do," Tessa replied. She thought of how Jessamine had told her that Tessa's mother was a Shadowhunter and her father was a demon, which was always thought of being impossible. But apparently it wasn't, although Tessa still doubted the validity of Jessamine's statement. "I'm not sure if it's entirely true Sophie," Tessa continued, "I mean, Jessamine did have a block on her mind and could have said many lies that night."

"You could be right miss," Sophie said, "anyways, it's best if you go to dinner. It's about time."

"Thank you Sophie," Tessa said, feeling a lot better. She begun to head towards to door, but turned around. "And Sophie?"

"Yes miss?"

"You needn't have to call me miss," Tessa said, smiling to the maid, "we're friends."

"I know miss," Sophie said, avoiding eye contact with Tessa while tidying the room.

* * *

><p>Tessa made her way to the dining room to find that everyone was already seated, except for Will and Jem, who appeared to be missing. Tessa sat across from Juliet and next to Charlotte, feeling a little awkward without either boy at the table.<p>

"Has anyone seen Will or Jem?" Tessa wondered aloud.

"Nope. No one's seen them since the afternoon," Charlotte answered.

As if on cue, Will stepped into the room, looking around in a frenzy. He marched right up to Charlotte and threw his fists on the table.

"Have any of you seen Cecily?" Will frantically asked, vaguely resembling Tessa's earlier question.

"No," Charlotte said again. "Is something the matter?"

"She's gone!" Will explained, sinking into the seat next to Juliet.

"Perhaps she decided she needed some time by herself. To think," Juliet said unconvincingly, but trying to reassure Will.

"No, no that can't be it," Will said, trying to brush off any explanations, "she's gone."

"Will," Tessa said gently, "you can't be sure." Will glanced up and gazed right at Tessa, a look of distress and understanding crossing his eyes, which made Tessa's heart do a flip. Their concentration was broken when Sophie suddenly entered the room, holding a note in her hand. She walked over to Charlotte and handed the note. Charlotte eyed the other girl curiously and apprehensively took the slip of paper, and read it to herself. When she was done, her face had gone shockingly white and she held an appalled expression on her face.

"I hate to admit this, but you are damn well right Will."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Uh oh! Where did Cecily disappear? Well there you have it, all 5000 words. Yes we know, finally something interesting going on, but next chapter be prepared for some action. Oh and the dream sequence from the beginning is taken from Avatar: The Last Airbender, so yeah, thought we'd mention that. Don't forget to review! They make us happy :D**

**Till next time!**

**~The Pale Red Queen and friend**


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